The embodiments described herein relate to apparatus and methods for cleaning a surface and more particularly, to apparatus and methods for at least semi-autonomous cleaning of floors and/or other surfaces.
The use of at least semi-autonomous devices configured to perform a set of tasks is known. For example, robots can be used to clean a surface, mow a lawn, collect items from a stocked inventory, etc. Such devices can be configured to operate in a number of different ways; however, central to all these devices is the ability for the device to determine its position relative to a given area. Specifically, some known devices for at least semi-autonomous cleaning of a surface such as a floor, can be configured to determine its location relative to an area of that surface. In some instances, such devices and/or robots can include any number of sensors, cameras, light emitting and/or sensing device (e.g., visible light, infrared light, etc.), radio and/or sound wave emitters (e.g., sonar), global positioning system (GPS) radios, and/or any other device used to locate the device and/or robot within an area. Although these devices (robots) are configured to operate in at least a semi-autonomous manner, optimal design and/or control still presents challenges.
For example, in some instances, object-sensing methods such as sonar can be limited, inaccurate, and/or difficult to program. In other instances, a robot that is configured (e.g., programmed) to travel along a predetermined path may encounter an unexpected obstacle or the like, which can cause the robot to deviate from the predetermined path in a manner that may be unrecoverable without user (e.g., human) intervention. Moreover, defining the predetermined path can include extensive time and/or programming and is often not the most efficient path along which the robot should travel. In still other instances, some known robots fail to provide a user with an indication of the robots position, progress, and/or status. In addition, the arrangement of some robots configured to clean a surface, may lack a suitable drive system that can allow the robot to reach into corners and/or otherwise effectively clean the desired surface.
Thus, a need exists for improved apparatus and methods for semi-autonomous cleaning of surfaces.